***This is a spoiler free review***
In our world today, most people turn to anime for over the top action or thought provoking thrillers (Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, Naruto, ext.) but there is something that anime has brought that most people glaze over. Aria was one of the first anime I experienced as a child and while it contained a very slow paced plot (since it was a slice of life), it literally made my day watching it. It contained characters and music that were so in synch it made it such a unique watch. Years later we have Tamako Market which in a lot of ways mirrors what I loved about Aria.
Story: 6.5/10
In a slice of life anime, it is hard to get a large amount of appeal unless they rely on moe type stuff to get a large viewer base. While Tamako Market does have some moe elements, it is the very spot on pacing and character development in which Tamako Market in my honest opinion becomes a spiritual successor to Aria. Both shows follow a small cast of characters on their daily routines while also taking place in a seemingly conflict free world in which they are free to do whatever they fancy. Both shows also bring out the question, “What do I want to do in life?” Both Aria and Tamako realize by the end of the show what and where is their true calling. Since all the show does is follow the main characters, you might think it would get boring real fast. Well you are wrong on that front because the character interactions are all funny and/or engaging. The character Dela who is a bird who talks usually steals the spotlight in the scenes he takes place in since he is usually both the starter and resolver of conflicts due to his all mighty personality. The anime does rely on some gag type comedy but nothing is overused beyond their usage. One recurring gag is when someone sneezes on Dela, he takes it as an act of courting since it is such an action in his home country. The plot does start out a little slow in the beginning but the show steadily brings in new elements to add towards the final episode. While it isn’t the most thought provoking plot, you will still hopefully enjoy the interactions between the characters.
Animation: 7/10
The animation is a little lacking but by no means horrible. The colors are on the plain side but in terms of the actual animation the show does a really good job of keeping a smooth frame rate especially on the scenes where there are objects in motion. Character models are nice throughout the entire season; nothing really else to add.
Sound: 9.7/10
So I happen to be very much into acoustic qualities and how it affects film. A lot of people do not understand how an amazing score/soundtrack can really make something shine. Visuals are important but it is the sound that makes your chest shake during an explosion or the emotions you feel when a character is crying and the voice actor is doing a great job expressing the in-film character’s emotions. In the case of Tamako Market it happens to be all of these things but the music takes the main prize. The music used in this show is light, cheerful, and used perfectly in all the scenes. The opening song is also amazing as it is catchy and has great instrumentation. The soundtrack is so good that I plan on buying the OST when it comes out.
Characters: 9.5/10
Slice of life shows HAVE to have a good cast or it goes to sh!%. Unless you have a show like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that has a character for literally every possible situation, your limited size cast has to provide scenes that are pleasing to the audience. In my honestly opinion, I think that the characters of Tamako Market did an astounding job providing thirteen funny and enjoying episodes of goodness. All four high school students (plus the bird Dela) do an excellent job interacting with each other in both mundane and unique ways. The scenes where Mochizou and Tamako talk to each other from their rooms using the two cups connected by a string reminds me of my youth when that seemed like the cool thing to do. The interactions between Mochizou and Midori were interesting to watch since Midori is overprotective of Tamako and Mochizou is so fu#$ing clueless about girls. The star Dela really brought the show together with his personality and lack of knowledge. I don’t want to sound fanboyish but I am having a hard time trying to find anything wrong with the cast. I am pretty sure that anyone who watches this show will enjoy the characters.
Overall: 8.2/10
This show is not going to appeal to everyone. Many people including myself are getting fed up with the anime industry’s push for more and more slice of life anime with a heavy emphasis on moe. It seems as if studios are becoming more reserved on making a new amazing action adventure or thriller type anime. When Fate/Zero came out it was a breath of fresh air because it was awesome, fresh, new. I want more anime that takes risks BUT in the mists of all the moe crap going on currently, something arose from the garbage and gave me something to look forward to each week. Tamako Market is the rainy day anime of the 2000’s. With an amazing soundtrack and cast, I honestly cannot think of any reasons why someone might not like this show. Don’t go into it thinking it is going to wow you with emotions and actions; just sit back, relax, and watch some youngsters live out their life. You might even laugh along the way.
Enjoyment: 9.5/10
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Sincerely,
Awesome Drummer
This is a very typical KyoAni piece. It is light and enjoyable, fairly average with just enough quirks (aka talking bird) to be interesting. The premise is completely silly, and if you take it seriously, you are doing it wrong. Haters gonna hate, but there's really nothing bad about Tamako Market. Recommended for K-On! fans, and fans of other light slice-of-lifes.
This anime is a slice-of-life comedy, and it does its job extremely well. If you're looking for a light-hearted series which doesn't use "clickbait" methods (aka, cliffhangers at the end of each episode), then this is the one.
Fans of K-on! will also enjoy it; it's made by the same studio (which is noticable from the first part of the animation).
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Story
There honestly isn't really much of a story as it's not only slice-of-life which changes the theme of each episode each time there's a new one (with only the final couple episodes containing a sort of "to be continued"), but it's also a comedy.
Basically, a (rather pretentious) talking bird winds up in a flower shop in the Usagi Market where the protagonist Tamako lives as her family owns and runs a mochi shop. The bird, Dela, is looking for a bride for his prince...or so he says, as he gets distracted quite easily by the temptation of mochi.
Though the story is episodic, even that is quite simple in what it covers. There are some wholesome topics and events, but the storyline is not the selling point of this anime. 4/10
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Characters
This is a tough one, as most of the characters are fairly one-dimensional or behave fairly the same throughout the series with only minor changes here and there. On the other hand, there's just something joyful about this cast of characters and the entire community of the Market. Add one talking bird from another country to that mix, and it's bound to get even more interesting.
It follows the protagonist, Tamako (I'm not even going to attempt to spell her surname), as she goes about her day to day (or holiday to holiday, as the show revolves around those the most) events. She is kind and cheerful, if not a bit of an airhead who doesn't even realize that her neighbor has a crush on her (or anyone else for that matter).
Mochizou is her neighbor across the street, and is the son of a man who sells more "modern" rice cakes (aka, mochi). Despite the silly fued his father has with Tamako's, he has been in love with her for a while but is unable to get her to understand this. He's also kind and supportive, and honestly is probably the first to take to Dela.
Speaking of, Dela is the talking bird (I won't include his full name, as it's quite a hilarious pun which the viewer should experience). He is narcissistic (going on about his own positive traits to the point of being obnoxious) and sort of struts in an odd way of walking. He is the one who actually grows the most during the show as a character, as though he still keeps those narcissistic views of himself, he also starts to become a reliable friend...most of the time.
The immediate supporting cast includes Tamako's friends, such as the shy Shiori, the carpenter's daughter (who also loves the craft) with a dark sense of humor named Kanna, and also one who gives off somewhat more mature vibes in Midori.
Tamako's little sister, Anko, also shows up often and is an intrigal part of the cast...in addition to everyone who runs the marketplace, but I couldn't remember all their names (aside from Kaoru who is a florist).
...and if you've noticed a trend with their names, yes; it was done on purpose. This is a comedy, after all.
Characters is a pro and a con of the anime. They are quite reliable and solid in their personalities for most of the anime, though they do struggle from time to time. Overall, they do what they need to do in order to create the warm atmosphere of the anime, and they all at least have a distinct personality. 7/10
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Sound and Animation
No issues with the sound; I actually enjoyed the intro song, the ending song is cute, and the voice actors cast for the roles with their characters definitely bring them to life. There were a couple times when the background music was a little weird, but for the most part it did what it needed to do to help promote the atmosphere of the anime.
9/10 for the sound.
The animation might be a little odd for anyone who hasn't seen K-on! or just isn't used to that style of dynamic animations. However, it's perfect for a light-hearted slice-of-life comedy (much like how the visuals were on point for K-on!).
When characters needed to move in a silly way, they did without being deformed or overexaggerated for the sake of comedy; the style allowed it to be flexible, and even I was able to pick up on some of the feelings by the eyes of the characters (something I struggle with).
The colors are vivid and happy without being obnoxious about it, and there weren't any times I could recall feeling awkward in regards to the way it was animated or that the colors clashed.
Some people might find the style a little awkward, but the aesthetic is always in the eye of the viewer. In my humble opinion, it was on point for the type of anime this is. 10/10
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Overall
So, some might be wondering why I gave this anime such a high "overall" score when I rated two of the most important things, the characters and the story, lower than it.
That's because this anime is just such a feel-good anime that it does exactly what it set out to do, and delivers it well. It kept the story simple and mostly resolved everything which needed to be resolved, and I can't stress enough just how wholesome the anime is...particularly the atmosphere of the Market.
I hate crowds, but even I'd be tempted to visit such a friendly place like that. There was a really huge sense of community, and the area was small enough where everyone (in the Market) knew each other. There's no major disaster they have to pull through together for because they don't need one to be like a giant family.
Now, despite the good words I have for this anime, it does have a couple things which makes me unable to give it a full 10/10 (especially since this anime has a lot of re-watchability potential).
The first is whenever the anime attempts to do dramatic moments. There are some more "serious" situations and moments which pop up, but because the anime is still so light-hearted it doesn't feel as deep as what you might find in a slice-of-life like Kimi to Boku.
Not that it's a bad thing as this anime did not stray from its lighthearted feel, but it did make those dramatic moments feel like they're not a big deal. I wouldn't go as far as saying that it glossed over them or made light of those situations, just that it didn't give a sense of urgency or tension. Last couple episodes aside, it mostly just felt like it was "antics" instead of "drama".
That many of the characters aren't fully fleshed out (such as Kanna) also is a minus point which makes it difficult to really "get into" the characters. The viewer sort of learns what makes them tick, particularly Tamako and Dela (and even Anko and Tamako's father), but outside of that we really don't know too much about the characters.
I'm not going to hold that against this anime too much as this is a light-hearted comedy. But as something in the slice-of-life genre, I had hoped for just a little more. I suppose Mochizou is my favorite character, but it's honestly difficult to figure it out since I feel like there aren't many choices to pick from despite the large cast of characters.
While there are hiccups when the anime tries to get into serious moments, it's still a fun and light-hearted experience which I would definitely recommend to others. This anime knew what it was from the start, didn't try to do anything complicated or out of its league, and remained true to its tags the entire time. 9/10
Quite enjoyable to watch, nothing special.
Story 6.5/10: The story is about a mochi maker's daughter named Kitashirakawa Tamako who someday finds a talking bird (dela) the bird tells her he's looking for a bride, not for himself but for his prince and that he lost his way. Tamako decides to keep the bird and that's about the whole story without any spoilers, the show doesn't have many plot as you just follow tamako and her friends doing stuff at school or participating in stuff like festivals, so it becomes your usual slice of life anime it does however keeps a good pacing and character development because the story follows a small group of characters so that there is enough things to tell about. and their interaction are enjoyable to follow.
Animation 8/10 : The animation is very bright and colorful it's what you would expect of an KyoAni show, the character designs are very cute / moe wich suits the story and was enjoyable to watch
Sound 9/10: This show sound/music was amazing the OP and ED were both very enjoyable (my personal fav is the ED) and as for the other sounds in the show they were very cheerful and used very well in the show, As for voice characters they did a great job I couldn't regonize them but still the voices matched the characters.
Characters 8.5/10: The characters are easy to relate to. And the conversations between them are very good, the bird (dela) is really funny with his lack of knowledge this show is mostly about the characters interactions with each other and was done very good I loved all of them and the charachters made the show what it is you will most likely feel some attachment to them.
Overall 8/10: This show is cute colorful has a great cast of characters and the sound is amazing, altough this isn't everybody's favorite since not everybody likes all these "moe" shows. I couldn't really find anything the show did wrong execpt for the lack of plot but that's usally something in Slice of Life anime. Other than that I can't think of anything why someone wouldn't like this show. So if you enjoy watching slice of life shows you'll most like love this one.
Thank you for reading my review :) If you have anything to discuss got any tips or just want to chat send me a message and I'll reply
Goodbye,
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